There was a time when gangster
movies were fascinating, and gangsters discussed as a folk hero art form inculcating
human culture and values in society. Many didn’t consider them a threat or
menace to life. Gangsters in 1930s were classic, had tommy guns, dressed well,
had fancy girls, speak intelligently, and movies about them were enjoyable.
Some were considered notorious for running whisky. Gradually, the suspense changed
around 2008. Drugs infiltrated society, language and clothing style changed, things
exploded, urbanism became prominent, and the classic wing tipped black and
white shoes vanished. Pretty babes with feathered hats, men double breasted
suits, fancy cigars, wide brimmed hats, three-piece suits, etc, disappeared, with
the classic art form of folk hero; thereafter, human trafficking, narcotic,
drugs, needles, tattoos, graffiti art, and
beards became prominent.

Gangsters in the 1930s
took over the movies with violence, like an erupting volcano lacking positive
assimilation, growing by aggression, and firepower. Eventually they descended
to the gutter from whence they came, for others to see as a past phenomenon, leaving
trails of destruction behind. Such is the essence of life gangsters once lived.
This lifestyle articulated by Robert Warshow, shows an image, of gangsters drawing
themselves out from the crowd, and subsequently dying as individuals, based on
the principles of: production codes, narrative trajectory, metaphor of the
gutter, existentialism, epistemology, and tragic heroes.

The rise of gangsters
coincided with films, appealing to society in the 1930s such as: Little
Caesar, Public Enemy, and Scarface. Thereafter, the Motion
Picture Codes of 1933 and 1934 curtailed such movies.[1] They imposed restrictions,
by not letting gangsters win, showing crime does not pay, and not escaping with
stolen riches. They are doomed to die, and shot down completing the narrative trajectory
cycle of their lives.

The narrative trajectory
shows gangsters as tough guys, motivated by power, greed and women, not playing
low-keyed positions, since they are egotistical and seek the limelight. They
desire to take it all, seeking independence as their own boss, taking over others’
lives, and calling them negative names as in the Godfather and Goodfella’s
movies. The narrative trajectory shows them rising from the gutter and back
down from attacks on others as their ideological construct.

Metaphor of the Gutter
shows gangsters as a subclass living by exploitation. This is evident in Scarface
where the protagonist gangsters died in the gutter.[2] They are outside the
stream of working-class people, unable to work constructively with honest
citizens, and earn their living by deceit, deception, and death.

While earning their
living as a subclass, they unleash attacks on others, destroying their
surroundings, and losing protection, while rising from the gutter and returning
by death. The movie, Public Enemy, shows Rico, rising and falling this
way,[3] from his egotistical and maniatic
actions, which attracted bullets from others taking over his position within
the gang’s hierarchy.

The existentialist
philosophy determines gangster’s existence. They are what they become, people
of violence, taking their violence and turning it into cultures as their core
of existence, thus, subordinating others by force and intimidation for future
activities. They have no control and accomplished things egotistically. They
obey no rules, create their own, and evolve as nightmares over others’ lives.

Their actions consider
others as nothing, displaying no ethics or good faith. Their ways are based on their
philosophy, and ideological construct making them standout. They desire to control
the streets violently, eliminating others in their quest of reaching the top as
successful gangsters. They live by macho codes driving them into spheres of
isolation, leading to their death because they are individuals, in the genre of
order as opposed to the integration.[4]

The integration genre is
based on musical, melodrama, comedy, etc, is civilized and stable. It embraces,
love, marriage, community and cooperation, unlike the genre of order which is contested,
hostile, and unstable. The Wizard of Oz is an example of the integration
genre, unlike White Heat where the order genre exemplifies killings as
an ideological construct.

The gangsters ideological
construct is a choice. The choice defines them, as gangsters not living as ordinary
citizens. This is a glorious profession, as stated by Henry Hill in Goodfella’s,
“To me being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.”
The evolution of vicious gangsters also has its foundation in the principles of
epistemology, regarding original gangster films establishing an archetype and
body of knowledge.[5]

The concept of
transparency regarding the rise of gangsters in newspapers is linked to the
principle of epistemology, creating a cyclical rising and falling lacking social
values. The gangsters were bold enough to have newspapers and movies consulting
them to ensure the accuracy of their publications. They enjoy public laudatory
accolades as villains with glorious foundations. However, they are brought
down by the spirit of the production codes sealing their fate by them not
defeating the law.

According to Robert
Warshow, gangsters live their lives as tragic heroes. The protagonist gangsters
fighting for their ways are no other than what they are. They don’t realize what
they do, yet proceed without considering the consequences. Their ideological
construct, shows this being right. Once entrenched with the commission of a
crime there is no turning back. This was exemplified by Rico in Little
Caesar (1931).[6]
Rico continues his life of crime until he dies from law enforcement bullets.

Other gangsters glorifying
themselves as tragic heroes were Bonnie and Clyde (1967)[7]. Leading a life of crime, Bonnie
glorified the gang with articles to newspapers for publication. Reading his
poetry, were motivation for robbing banks and continuing their narrative
trajectory, only to be gunned down by bullets from federal agents.

Gangsters as tragic heroes
are never to be alone, especially when they have killed other gang members from
lack of trust or paranoia. Being alone is deadly. It’s the end stage of the
narrative trajectory where they will die from a bullet, and return to the gutter.

In White Heat.[8]
Cody Jarrett is alone. Trapped on the top of an oil refinery tank, he is
isolated as a tragic hero, does not have his gang, and faces the police alone. He
has come to grips with his existentialist end of dying alone, and is brought
down by bullets from the law. As a killer, he stands on his own two feet, and
returns to the gutter as a tragic hero.

In American Gangster,
a different example of the gangster genre appeared. The movie showed the integration
genre. In the order genre, the gangster is left alone in danger and dies. In American
Gangster, the protagonist hero did not die, his network died, family
members arrested and convicted. His cooperation with the law allowed his
release from prison after sentencing.

He did not physically
die based on the narrative technique, he died mentally without his crew. Protagonist
gangsters die in the gutter or where water is present. Denzel Washington asked
the law for some holy water.[9] The water is a form
of absolution symbolizing an ending in the narrative trajectory. The
message is atonement. Metaphorically, he is cleansed of past sins.

The difficult part of
the gangster genre is when individuals are hurt, from not knowing the gangster’s
world of existence, as in, Scarface and Public Enemy. Literally,
one could state the gangster genre has touched many lives in various ways.

The principles of the
production codes, narrative trajectory, gutter metaphor, existentialism,
epistemology, and the gangsters as tragic heroes are evident in the genre.
These conventions are critical to understand the roles of gangsters, their motives,
character traits, and actions.

Conclusion

The era of classical
gangsters has ended. A new era of gangsterism started with urban gangsters in
the movies as a new art form of art and culture. The folk hero theory, wing
tipped black and white shoes, double breasted pinned striped suits, fancy cars
with pretty girls immaculately dressed, language style, and dress codes have
changed. The concept of transparency of rising in the newspapers and movies is
not linked to the epistemology principle anymore. Today’s gangsters operate in
secrecy, are opportunistic, act on spur of the moment, and nothing is published
in the news by them.

Drugs have taken over,
narcotics, needles, tattoos, graffiti, beards, jeans and tennis shoes are now classy.
The narrative principle is the same regarding trajectory of the gangsters. They
exist outside the moralistic code of people. Their cyclical rise and fall are
evident, based on their ideological construct, and existential philosophy. The
conventional trajectory for power, has not changed. Gangsters are now insulated
and do not move alone. Their ideological construct of attacks has expanded with
proliferation of guns and bombs.

Based on discovery statistic
by news media, and other agencies, one must ask the question: “Should the
ideological construct of gangsters as tragic heroes, existentialists, genres of
integration or order, and narrative trajectory, be considered as advantageous
or a disadvantageous art forms and culture in the emerging society?” My belief—it’s
disadvantageous and should not be considered an art form inculcating human
values and culture in society!

[1]The code named after Will H.
Hayes, who presided over Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association
in 1922. The codes were ignored until the establishment of the Production Codes
in 1934.

[2]In the end of the movie,
Scarface was eventually shot, and died in the gutter. The symbology of the
water is atonement of his sins.

[3]In Public Enemy, Rico
is shot down in a hail of bullets by law enforcement. He completes the
narrative trajectory by dying when he is alone.

[4]Existentialism
is an integrated part of the genre of order. The action of the gangster is
existential, since he lives in a world that is hostile, indifferent, and
involves bad faith.

[5]Scarface, The Public Enemy and Little Caesar established a
foundation for the study of knowledge and justified belief of the gangster
genre, especially when coupled with newspaper articles praising the gang.

[6] In Little Caesar, Rico
robs a gas station. This makes him a successful gangster with no turning
back. He becomes more successful alienating others. Alone, he was shot in the
end.

[7]In Bonnie and Clyde, a series
of articles and poetry were submitted by Bonnie to the newspapers, glorifying
their life of crime. Others looked at them as folk heroes based on the
glorifying articles.

[8]White Heat shows Cody Jarrett, a violent killer, and
raving maniac as a gangster trapped by the police in an oil refinery. He
is alone, on top of an oil tank proclaiming to be “On Top of the World.” He is shot and in returning fire, shot and
exploded the tanks causing his death, an end to the rise and fall trajectory.

[9]While assisting law enforcement with
information about the network in American Gangster, Washington, made
reference to Holy Water. The symbology is being atone for his sins before
going to prison. His life was spared because his sentence was shortened
and he had an early release from prison.

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